Riddick: Unbound
by zzetta13
Summary: After the Riddick: Bloodhounds incident, Riddick finds himself on a new planet, and ready for a new adventure. Not that his life hasn't been filled with adventure already, still…..
1. Chapter 1

_**Riddick: Unbound**_

"_**Of Caesar and Sinner"**_

_**Synopsis**_: After the Riddick: Bloodhounds incident, Riddick finds himself on a new planet, and ready for a new adventure. Not that his life hasn't been filled with adventure already, still…..

"…_.a restless soul that courts the anger of gods, is not a soul that fears its own destiny_".

What is it that Riddick may be afraid of? Well, the one thing that may send shivers into his spine is that the time given him has been wasted.

As a born Alpha Furyan, life, as he sees it, should be filled with adventure, if not, then the existence one has been given has become unsubstantial and is a sin.

The purpose of any Furyan is to, with their next breath, be considering their next move. There is always of something they could do, or something to be learned. To experience the full range of emotion the universe has to offer one has to live it. To sit and wait for something to occur is to spit in the eye of God. The creator has given YOU life, it is appreciated that you not throw it away. Given this, it is the unwritten code to their nature.

Now, as such, the Furyan race can be seen as a young, suborn peoples (of which planet many of its youth, at an early age, leave to witness the galaxy), and, in the history books, this may have been the reason Zhylaw may have felt a bit anxiety in attempting to hunt all of them down (after his attempted massacre on Furya). Anyway, Zhylaw felt confident that he had killed the Furyan prophesied to destroy him. Still, with anguish, the idea lingered that he had not (all of which is seen in the _**Chronicles of Riddick**_).

Continuing onward (after Riddick: Rule the Dark) the man with the _eye shines_ starts anew. What adventures await him (?) Riddick is unsure, but what he does know is that the verse which he is experiencing right now is dull and boring, and that will not do. To Caesar over a new adventure would keep him from becoming a sinner, a crime to his faith, and Riddick is all about staying faithful.

Author's note: This is an aggressive venture on my part, and I wish to express my thanks to the creators of a universe that has enthralled me, the Riddick Universe. I really have enjoyed Riddick and I hope to see more to come from Vin. Z

_******* Trouble *******_

There he sat, at the counter…the counter of a no-name bar, in a no-name town, on a no-name planet; he sat there, staring straight ahead.

The light overhead was shiny; actually it was shining directly upon him. It was just enough illumination to cast a glow upon his wide shoulders, enough to bring him into the spotlight, which may, or may not have been a good thing, depending on one's point of view.

He was gathering attention already, he knew, but what the hell. He didn't go looking for _Trouble,_ and he tried to avoid it whenever possible. However when encountered…..he did not yield to the entity, he did not move away or alter his path. Should _Trouble_ find him, then he faced it head-on, and most of the time he was the one left standing.

Still, on this night, at this moment, _Trouble_ had found him, and it was not eager to acknowledge his superiority. It did not find him interesting, or a menace, or tantalizing or anything else. It found him a curiosity, nothing more, a curiosity that may, if certain individuals be encountered, gain someone a pocketful of coin (should they prove worthy enough to take it from him?).

Yes, _Trouble_ had found him, and it found him curious, and what happens when something is found to be curious, well it is explored.

_******* Three Thugs *******_

There were three men sitting at a back table in this bar, three men who called this planet home. Three individuals who had witnessed Riddick come in and take a seat at their counter, three strangers that didn't care that the man, who was sitting there, was big, and mean looking (from their experience, sometimes whose types were the biggest pussies of all, so who cared what Riddick looked like?). In their view he was only a lump on a log, a bump in the road, someone worth robing, if he had the coin.

Harvey, Grim &amp; Harris were all looking for something to do, entertainment for the night, and if that entertainment meant robbing somebody and beating them senseless, well, they were OK with that. They looked over at the man sitting at the bar. Sure he was big, and had big muscles, but it would still be three against one, how could they lose? They emptied their chairs and approached him together.

Full glass of brew before him (untasted) Riddick wore his goggles to hide his eyes. It wasn't from fear or anything, it was from something else entirely (in actuality the light at the bar was too bright for him), still it only made the three men approaching him that more curious.

Riddick had his arms folded in front of him and he was thinking in review...

He had sat upon the throne of the Lord Marshal, Overseer of the Underverse, faith of the Necromongers and Lord Intent on bringing new converts into their fold. Still it meant nothing to him.

During his stint as Lord Marshal, Riddick had neither been impressed, nor been shown anything that would desire him to become a convert. The spells that he'd witnessed, and the conjurings, could have easily been produced such as parlor tricks by a wizard. It meant as much to him as the rumors he'd heard on Crematoria, of a demon living at the molten center of its core.

Riddick wasn't easily impressed with the universe that he lived in, not that he was a god, a divinity himself, and beyond the score of man, he was not, he was only a man, and ill be those who would say that his soul was bound or destined for something that was not of his choosing.

No, Riddick wasn't afraid of death, it was like a tattoo on his shoulder, a mark that told him that it was always there, something which could not to be washed away, however neither could religion.

He had faith, but not as such that he could live his life in a temple and read scripture all day. His God told him that the greater sin was NOT to experience the wonders of the galaxy. That one's soul was wasted if it sat on its ass all day and did nothing.

Riddick lived by this rule, and would see to be sure that he did not anger his God.

Riddick was searching for something, for love maybe, and also it was in his brain to maybe father a child.

"_Kyra, I need you", _the idea ran through his brain.

Riddick was about to experience something he never had before, love, or maybe something else?

He became aware of a presents, the shadow of three man surrounding him, and he smiled.

END CHAP 1


	2. Chapter 2

_**Riddick: Unbound 2**_

"_**Bullvine"**_

Author's note: Bullvine is a planet new to the system, well in cosmic terms. It was a planet bought by a wealthy tycoon three hundred years ago and is now owned and operated by his great, great grandchildren.

Deficient in an oxygen atmo the world maintains an operating atmospheric facility to produce breathable air. And to produce commerce it entertains a wealth of small farms and livestock companies. Too, it has little else that would make it interesting or noteworthy of being on the map of any tourist's vacation stops, which brings into question…..why is Riddick here? People native to this world are curious as to why any stranger, who could go anywhere, would venture to their planet, for what reason?

Riddick has stopped in a bar here, he is looking to contemplate his next move (after making a quick exit to get away from the last bit of trouble he'd found himself in). However there were four individuals stalking him, three that he presumes are locale riffraff from this town (folk who frequent this bar and are looking to make victims of strangers), and a fourth. However the fourth person speaks something of a puzzle to the man with the eye-shine. This individual had been following him around for a while now, and would have been someone he would have confronted sooner had they shown aggression or a desire to expose their intention. However, their present's has remained a mystery. He is a bit curious as to what they want (?) still, Riddick does not play his hand. He is no fool, and there are certain moments when he likes to toy with curiosities, individuals in his pursuit, and have them imagine that they are in control, when in actually he is in position.

Riddick, in his element, is not only a master of his environment, but also could be considered a master of games (which he enjoyed playing).

Still, there comes a time when everyone is shocked in their life, and this may be one of those moments for he, Riddick himself?

OC players- Ferris Marco (barkeep)…..(and the three thugs), Harvey Vickers, Grim &amp; Harris.

_******* Trouble Comes To Cowtown *******_

Richard B. Riddick sat at a counter in a bar where he'd been minding his own business, and seemingly too, thinking about things. Things he'd experienced and lived through in the past, and also about the people. Folk he'd shared acquaintance with, some on a more personal level than others, and some he'd actually grown to like. Reminiscing, that may have been a better description of what he was doing, reminiscing…..and with the lights above the counter being so bright he was also wearing his light-filtering goggles to protect his eyes.

Riddick was thinking about what had befallen him over the years…reflecting on what was behind him, but too, he was considering what may lay ahead in his future. Also, with his keen sense of detection he was able to see trouble coming soon. He was able to ascertain that the three men sitting in the corner, at a table in this bar, may be looking for a little entertainment for the evening, and since there were three of them, compared to him being alone, his size meant little.

Trouble in an establishment such as this usually meant a barroom brawl, and the big man could sense the conflict approaching. However, beyond that, and all of the other things and people on his mind, Riddick was thinking of one person in particular….

"_Kyra….."_

He didn't know why he was thinking of Kyra at this moment, only that he was. Something had triggered in his brain and put her utmost in his mind.

"_Jack B. Badd, Kyra, you sold your soul to mercs. You thought somehow that it would make you more like me. That they would teach you the trade of "Hide &amp; Search", and also introduce you to the rush of the kill….what it feels like to end a person's life, give you the sense that you'd accomplished something. Well, our time on Cermitoria was too short, I didn't have time to express to you that life isn't about killing, it's about living. Killing doesn't make someone a bad-ass, it doesn't make someone worthy of anything. Killing is just killing, and the more someone does it, the easier it becomes. Not to say that a person doesn't have to kill at some point, sometimes you must just to survive. But ending another's soul's life shouldn't boost someone's ego, it isn't necessary. No, killing creates its own reputation, and that isn't always a good thing. Sometimes it gives mercs the desire to hunt someone down, the guilty and sometimes the innocent, and turn them in for blood-money. At moments like that their's is the duty to fulfill the contract, right or wrong a person's individual code becomes void. It's why I began to find the occupation increasingly tasteless and why I got out of the business…."_

Riddick was reminiscing about his past, and also, thinking of his future, however, in a moment he knew that he would have to stop thinking and reminiscing and become ready to leap into action.

_*******Ferris Marco, Harvey Vickers, Harris &amp; Grim *******_

There was a drink sitting on the counter in front of the ousted Lord Marshal at this time, a drink of which Riddick had ordered but was mindful not to indulge. He needed nothing to dull his senses, nothing to delay his actions. Three men had come up behind him, and he could feel that they weren't intent on making friends.

"Well, what have we got here Marco?"

Riddick heard one of them introduce their presents. The bartender looked up from scrubbing one of his glass and looked into the faces of four individuals inside his bar, three standing, and one sitting.

"Look guys, I don't want any trouble in here this time," the barkeep paused, "the fellow seems to have come in just to relax. Maybe swallow the dust of this planet down his throat with a little help of a brew and then be on his merry path, ain't no cause for disruption," he spoke.

The barkeep looked over at Riddick, hoping the stranger would help him out. The goggled man smiled and seemed calm even though there were three individuals at his back; he seemed worried not the least.

"Well, that's where we see things differently Ferris," Harvey spoke. "He may have come into your establishment not looking for trouble, but he certainly found it…..

Riddick could see the reflections of three men standing behind him in a mirror opposite the counter. Harvey, the one directly to his rear, and smallest of the trio, had been the one who'd spoken and seemed to be the leader of the bunch. The other two were named Harris and Grim.

Riddick knew this, not because he had the proficiency of an Elemental or anything, but because the three had nametags sewn directly into the shirts they were wearing. Riddick picked-up on the observation that they must be buddies and workers of the atmospheric company on this dirt hill of a planet.

Harvey continued with his intrusion…

"See, there may not be much to Bullvine, this cow-herder of a planet, but what is here is ours, folk native to the soil, and we don't appreciate intruders. The women here are ours, and the land, and the beasts that walk the ground…all ours. So what say you of that intruder?"

Riddick's smile grew wider but he never turned around…

"Well I'm not here for your women, or your cattle," he spoke in a monotone voice, "…fact is that I don't care which of them you snuggle up against at night, that's your business. I'm only here….like the man said, to have a peaceful drink. I owe you nothing and all you owe me is to mind your own business. I just want a sip from my glass and then I'll move on to another purpose," he said, which actually was an indication that there was a reason for his entering this bar, they just didn't know the reason for it.

The three men drew into him closer, his taunting insult seemingly giving them cause to start a fight.

"You owe us nothing (?), well that's where you're wrong," Harris said. "You owe us for the air you're breathing. We work at the Bullvine Atmospheric Processing Unit just down the road, so the air you're breathing is something we created, you owe us for that."

Riddick continued to face forward, his smile increasing so that his teeth showed

"You call that air? Smells like cow shit to me and if you guys are in charge of the atmo I'm breathing around here, well then, I'd say that you're doing a pretty crappie job," he chuckled.

The three men became infuriated with this, and the man Harris, to Riddick's left, was the quickest to respond…..and also, the quickest to receive the fury of Richard's rebuttal. The man advanced and Riddick punched him squarely in the nose. He fell flat before he even knew what hit him, and there was a pool of blood already gathering onto the tavern floor. Grim, seeing the opportunity of blindsiding Riddick rushed in and was delivered the stiff backwards kick of a boot to his face. This sent him flying in reverse, taking out a table where several onlookers sat observing the ordeal. Riddick turned to the last man that had encroached his privacy. His opponent, Harvey Vickers, although leader of this group, was also seen to be least likely to become victor over the trouble he caused. Riddick looked at him directly in the eyes…..

"Your move…."

Harvey, feeling the pressure, did not want to become like one of his friends, he quickly made an exit out of the front door (he would deal with the repercussions of his cowardice later), still, all the while the barkeep had been uttering curses and claims of how this ordeal was ruining his bar. After which Riddick turned to the man, and then lifted his cup of stained liquor glass from the counter; the glass had not spilled a single drop, still beneath its bottom there lay a golden shilling. A shilling Riddick had put there just for this occasion.

"That should well exceed payment for the damages," he spoke.

Marco picked up the shilling…..

"Holy shit, Platinum-magnetite…..!" he said, his eye grew as big around as saucers, "This could almost buy me a whole-nother bar." He looked over at Riddick…..

"You Mister, my friend, can come in here any time and kick the asses of those three fellows whenever you wish," he spoke gleefully.

Riddick did not reply, he only turned and directly marched over to a table where a certain individual was sitting. Said person wore the attire of a monk, with a long flowing brown robe and a hood that covered the head and shielded the face. This had been a person whom had been following him since he'd arrived, and now it was his desire to find out what they wanted. Riddick approached their table.

"Now it's time for you to own-up. What's your business, why have you been following me?"

Without a word the individual reached up and removed the hooded covering from over their head.

"_KYRA_…..!" Riddick pronounced...totally in shock.

End Part 2


	3. Chapter 3

_**Riddick: Unbound 3**_

"_**Cold Storage"**_

Author's note: What separates heat denigration from freeze? Well….one preserves while the other destroys…while on Crematoria, if one was to walk out into the sunlight at high noon one would suffer the consequences of the former, while if one ventured out on an ice planet such as _UV6_ one may suffer the later.

Riddick learns from a woman that….what he has been led to believe may not be necessarily what has actually accrued. Still, he is hesitant about the words spoken across a barroom table.

Riddick isn't afraid of dying or sacrificing his life, what he fears most is offering up his soul, his human spirit for nothing, for a cause that is moot.

As an Alpha Furyan, Riddick has been graced with abilities that even he does not understand, still, he is no god, he is but human, and human's aren't to know everything…. Are we?

_******* Cold Storage *******_

Riddick remained stunned as he stood there looking down into the face of someone he'd known as a child and then later as an adult woman, a woman not unpleasing to the eyes, however, the eyes looking back at him were now a bit older, but still as beautiful.

"Sit please," the woman spoke quietly as she patted the table before the huge man.

Riddick seated himself in a chair opposite the lady,...monk, preacher or whatever the brown robe was meant to represent of this person at this time, and he was thinking….

"_This is Kyra (?) But if it is, then she seems a bit older than the Kyra I knew back on Crematoria, and the one who saved me from The Lord Marshal Zhylaw on his assault vessel. Still, I could look at her all day and be pleased, as pleased as looking at a sunrise on Aguerra Prime. Her eyes are tantalizing and her face, never seeming to me as being the one of a killer."_

"You have questions I'm sure," the woman spoke, "Well Mr. Riddick I see now why my daughter became so captivated by you…"

There was a pause and the person sitting there before him was seemingly letting him digest that she was not Jack B Badd or Kyra (as later Jack had called herself) sitting there was none other than a person claiming to be a relative of Kyra, claiming to be her mother. The resemblance was uncanny; still he wasn't sure he should fall for this parlor trick.

The name Riddick was still spoken with a certain regard, whether in denouncement or acclaim, it was still spoken with respect. And bringing in the body of an escaped convict, such as himself, was still worth a substantial amount of profit. The ex-Lord Marshal of the _Underverse_ couldn't be sure that he had outrun the noted warrants on his head, couldn't be positive that even on _Bullvine_ he had distanced himself far enough out on the outer rim of the galaxy to have reached a planet where his face or his reputation wouldn't be recognized.

"So, you're claiming to be the mother of a girl I once knew," Riddick lifted his goggles in pretense that he was studying her more closely.

"No…." she said.

The noise in the room suddenly went to the surreal in Riddick's brain. The woman continued….

"….I AM the mother of a girl that you still know. Kyra isn't dead, she's being held in _cold storage_. The Purifier on Lord Marshal Zhylaw's assault ship, a fellow Furyan, recognized that Kyra was important to you, so, under his secret command the purifying process was not completed before she was totally consumed. What would have you think that Kyra could have saved your life if she had been totally absorbed?"

The woman stopped for a moment.

Riddick could see in her eyes that there was no blink, no falter, and no indication that she was not telling the truth. If he was reading her right, then there was only total honesty spilling forth from her mouth, and Riddick was very good at reading people.

"Myra Mr. Riddick….."

Richard was broken from his spell.

"What?"

"My name is Myra, and I've come to you to seek your help in regaining my daughter. She is being held in a cryo-chamber by Lady Vaako with the intent of being used as a trump-card if she or her husband (sometime in the future), become threatened by you. See Mr. Riddick you are not the only one who likes to play games. The universe, as we know it, is real, but its paradox is that it is a game, and we are but pawns being moved around on a chessboard by the gods. Lady Vaako is not stupid, you should know that she always retains a back-up plan. It is better to keep a "favor chip" under one's control, rather than chose a route with only a single option. Dame Vaako is smart, smarter than her husband even. Vaako may have assumed the position of Lord Marshal upon the claim that you were lost to the beast on some unnamed world way out in the middle of nowhere, but there has always remained the fear that you could return. You've beaten the odds too many times for them to consider otherwise."

Riddick studied her for a second.

"So you're a monk, shaman, an Elemental…."

She began to answer his question even before he'd had a chance to finish….

"All Mr. Riddick, and none of the above," she countered, " see, I cast myself as believing that all religion's show signs of worth, there are elements of value in each, however also degradation…"

"Bullshit…"

Myra stopped suddenly, startled by the big man's remark. Riddick smiled.

"What I mean is by degradation you're implying bullshit. A level where some religions express that they understand all the facts, when in truth, they have no idea what the reality of the cosmos really is. It's a form of control that they wish to instill in folk to keep them loyal. Forgive me if my intrusion into you explanation caused you think that I was considering you a liar."

Yes, Riddick's remark had taken her by surprise, and as a result she could see that his meaning was twofold. He wasn't a man easily swayed in risking his neck or gambling his head just because someone in a bar indulged in him the meaning of the cosmos, and he was right in doing so. Riddick had not lived so long a life as to swallow the first note presented to him, he kept himself reserved.

Myra looked at the man across from her. Handsome yes, and strong, she'd seen proof of that this very night... only moments ago. If anyone could save her daughter she knew she'd found the right gentleman. Well, gentleman may be a word offensive to the man sitting across from her, right candidate, that may be a better term.

Myra had not often been impressed with the men she had come across in her life. Ninety seven percent of them wanted one thing, and another two and a half percent were out to have a trophy to escort them on their arm. Riddick was neither, he was one of those rare individuals, those rare men that knew women were not toys. Knew, that as human beings they were very capable of knowing things for themselves. She looked at him and she liked what was looking back.

END PART 3


	4. Chapter 4

_**Riddick: Unbound 4**_

"_**Bloodlines"**_

From the Author: It has been a while I know, but my intent is to always return and add new chapters to existing work that remain on my profile page. If it's a story that is active, then at some point I will update and continue with what has been posted. So, with this said, I thank the folk on this fan-fic site who have put me on their "alert &amp; fav" list. I appreciate you totally, and want to say that you are an inspiration.

Now,…..on to other news. I hear that Vin is elated that approval for "Riddick 4" has been granted. Well I am very happy myself. I do not feel that this franchise has been given the credit that it deserves. Maybe being a sci/fi geek myself, I am bias, but then aren't we all bias for what we like?

Anywho…,my joy at hearing that there will be a _**Riddick 4**_ and my thanks again to readers and those who are keeping abreast of this work, it's fun to return and venture as to where this story arc may be headed. It stimulates my brain and gets the 'ol mind cells in my noggin to fire-up, Z

_Synopsis_\- _**Bloodlines: Unbound 4: **_Riddick has met up with a woman claiming to be Kyra's mother, and even with his senses being honed to a razor's edge, the one-time mercenary cannot find a hint of deception within her words. Still he is cautious and moves with a slow and certain gait to follow her as she leads him to the exit. It was told to him that she would reveal more of her plan in another location, however, Riddick remains poised for what may happen next…Z

_******* Bloodlines *******_

"So what…so what I tell, ya….!"

Riddick remained silent as he stood outside the bar on a planet he'd attempted to use as a place of refuge, a hideout, an escape from the ever seeking eyes of the faithful of the _Underverse_, and also, the ever searching scowls of bounty hunters. He stood there, standing on the porch of an enterprising business, watching two men argue out in the street about something of no interest or concern of his, none of his business, well that is, nothing that was supposed to be of his concern.

It was nighttime, so it was dark out, and except for a barking dog and a bit of chatter coming from the tavern he'd just exited, the streets were quiet, well except for the two men voicing their disagreement with one another at this time.

Riddick had followed Myra outside the front doors of the tavern, but as always, he moved with the grace of a panther and the caution of a jaguar (it was an animal thing). He wasn't the kind of guy that let his guard down easily, that could cost one one's life. He wasn't stupid, he was alert for ambush.

Riddick suddenly stopped, frozen in his tracks, and he began thinking, what was the chance? The chance that two men would be standing on a dusty road lit up by a single street lamp, in front of an old bar, at night, having some manner of disagreement? The odds were very slim from his point of view that this was up to par…that this night, at this very moment, such would be happening. Riddick's nostrils flared, he could smell set-up coming his way.

One of the men suddenly stopped, pulled a weapon and pointed it at him directly…

"At ease Mr. Riddick, you're coming with us."

So it had been a trap, a trick. The big man slowly turned to view Myra as she stood there looking at him.

"It's not what you think, trust me," she uttered softly, "…..give me a chance illuminate you before you past judgment," she requested, and then she motioned with her hand in such manner showing that he should move to their front….peacefully.

Did Myra plan to kill him? If so, then shouldn't it be that he would be dead already, or more likely, she would have been. Now, with neither being the case (him still alive, and her still breathing), did it mean that she wanted something from him, that her intent was to keep him alive.

Riddick put his hands behind his back; a gesture showing that he was being compliant with the request, when actually he had two throwing knifes back there, stored within his belt. He could have pulled the blades out swiftly, and delivered them deep into the brains of each man standing before him. They would have been dead before they fell to the ground, but Myra's words, for him to trust her, stayed his throw. He considered his options, he would wait, see what this was all about and then kill them later if he had to, or not.

Riddick dropped his arms to his sides and moved in front of the three individuals as they guided him to a back alley of the small town of Bullvine. They were chauffeuring him to place more secluded, more private. A place where a murder could be committed and the victim's body not discovered for hours.

Riddick had been in situations like this before, many times, and he knew that someone would be exiting that alley, someone leaving three bodies in their wake. A smile creased his lips (that Riddick smile). He really detested killing women, but if Myra had lied to him, and proven to him that she was a woman not of her salt, and was looking to put him down (maybe blaming him for the death of her daughter, or for whatever reason), then she may be joining her child this night, in the heavens.

Riddick had left his goggles up high, upon his forehead. He didn't need the protection of the light-filtering element, he could see just fine as they entered the darkness of a sheltered alleyway. Riddick paused for a second and knew, knew that whatever game Myra was playing, that she would soon find out that he (Riddick), was the master of games. That his mind was an ever revolving stew of scenarios, of possible outcomes, and that he left little to chance. However, the one-time convict still possessed the feeling that she was being truthful. Even with him being led into the darkness he felt that she could be trusted.

It was then, all of a sudden, up ahead that he saw someone strike a flair, as if lighting a match.

Riddick witnessed a cigarette being lit, and as such, wherein, within some bizarre figment of his brain, as if he had taken the A-train southward, Riddick recognized the man who had struck the match and had lit his cigarette…

"The Purifier"

End Part 4


	5. Chapter 5

_**Riddick: Unbound 5**_

"_**No, Hell No"**_

_******* The Purifier *******_

"_The Purifier…..!"_

Richard B. Riddick stood there stunned, allowing his brain to absorb the sight, but was wondering how in the world to digest it, what could be the explanation? Was the Purifier a ghost? Did the Necromonger religion have the ability to resurrect people, even after they had become so completely destroyed? If that were possible, then he, Riddick himself, had received no concept of it (even though he'd been Lord Marshal for a short period of time). Had they kept this from him?

Riddick knew that (_during his dubious rein as the leader of the Necromongers_), that there were those who would have much preferred putting a blade into his skull, rather than have him sit upon the throne and make a mockery of their faith. The religion had suffered under his rule, but Riddick didn't give a _Bioraptor's_ shit about that. He had watched a man die, a fellow Furyan, witnessed his body being reduced into a pile of charred rubble on the planet of Crematoria. Now….how could it be that this same individual was standing before him? Riddick's brain was a mixture of jumbled thoughts and counter-thoughts….

**"_No, Hell no…!"_**

The idea raced through his brain, this had to be some kind of trick, some assault on his mental process. Was he hallucinating? Had Myra, at some point, been able to slip him a "mickey" a drug that would knock him out, or incapacitate him in some manner?

That was highly unlikely. Myra, during his first encounter with her, had been nowhere near him as he had sat at the bar just moment ago, and furthermore, he would have been able to sniff out any substance introduced within his drink.

After his eye-shines, Riddick's sense of smell, (_just as his senses of touch, and hearing) _had been increased fifty fold. Having lost a little sensitivity in his vision was well worth gaining the insight of _night vision,_ and the advance of smell, hearing and feel (_Riddick didn't like cheating at cards, well, unless he was the one doing the cheating, and also, this ability of smell, had been the reason he'd been able to conclude that Jack B. Badd, on that planet M6-117_, _was a girl and not a boy, all those years ago)_.

Back to the present, Riddick had began advancing towards the phantom, this ghost of an individual who had purposely revealed himself as the _Purifier_.

"That's close enough Furyan….," came the call.

It wasn't a request, but rather a demand, and one thing which stuck in the ex-mercenary's craw, and which he did not cotton to, was the demand not to venture where he wanted to go.

Defiant yes, that could be one of the words used to describe his character. Defiant, hard-headed, stubborn, malicious, cruel, untamable…there had been many words which had been posted to describe his nature. Riddick smiled at the thought of them, and would not deny that any of them weren't true (_if you're going to be viewed as a bad-ass, then let history record you as the biggest bad-ass that ever lived, that was his philosophy_).

Riddick didn't hesitate in his steps towards the _Purifier,_ not for one second, that is, until he heard the sound of a shotgun being cocked, that was one thing that stayed his progress.

"The man said….!" the sentence remained unfinished, Claimed by a man named by Bailey…but never conncluded.

In one swift move Riddick withdrew one of his throwing knives from the back of his belt and delivered a quick assault to the weapon that Bailey held in his hands. The blade embedded itself a full inch into the chassis of the instrument and rendered it useless...and the weapon fell from Bailey's arms straight to the ground.

"The next one will be a little higher," Riddick spoke in his normal monotone voice, "…..now back-off."

Myra stepped up…

"Hey folk, no sense in this event becoming violent," she invoked, "we are here to enlist Mr. Riddick's help in gaining back my daughter, not to have it becoming some bloody mess where no one wins," she stopped and viewed the two men who had accompanied her in her quest of bring Riddick this far, "Bailey, you and Lyle give the man some room. I'm sure he's just curious about Alexia, and what he is seeing before him, and that is, that this man is of actual flesh and bone, and not some Specter."

Myra was totally on the mark with that one…..Riddick's curiosity had had him act before thinking. He had just wanted to get close to the man, check him for scars or any indication (clues) that may tell him (Riddick) that this was an impostor. Riddick smiled at Myra, although he was sure that she couldn't see it. The alley was still dark here. The flame from Alexia's match had lit his face, but only briefly. Still with his eye-shines Riddick could see him as clear as if it had been high-noon, and he could see no discrepancies or flaws in his encounterance.

This guy was the _Purifier_ down to every last detail. Riddick was sure of it, and now he knew his name, Alexia. He approached the one time High-Priest of the Necromanger religion.

"So your name is Alexia….," Riddick spoke, and then he continued with his scrutiny, " I watched you die on a planet that had consumed your body like the acid-rain on Vex-12 consumes and devours everything that isn't fifty meters underground. So, how is it that you are here now, standing before me?"

Alexia looked over at a still befuddled Myra. She had let his name slip, not a mistake that was done purposely mind you, still a mistake none the less, however, although it was a clue as to revealing HIS identity, it was nothing that exposed the truth. Alexia looked over at a still curious ex-Lord Marshal.

"Yes my name is Alexia, and I am from the planet of Furya, just as you are. But in no way do you know the name of the man who sacrificed himself on Crematoria for you, and you never will," he said, and then he stopped. He viewed Riddick's face for a while. He could see questions there, questions that needed to have answers.

"Why was Crematoria named Crematoria instead of Iceland or Glacier? As you know, at nighttime it becomes a frozen wasteland, a frigid resort which becomes a place par zero, a slow process, and as such a planet where frozen bodies can become reanimated,. A body deep-frozen can be recovered, whereas, those subjected to the fiery pits of hell are melted beyond recovery, and can never be exalted." Alexia stopped here, and let this idea sink into Riddick's brainpan, and then he continued.

"Crematoria may be a furnace during its daylight hours, but at night it becomes a frozen wasteland. I am not the man that you watched dissipate into nothingness Mr. Riddick, his very soul is beyond recovery, however, with the Lord Galaxy's wishes, his soul can be recovered, I am to you, only known as Alexia, his twin brother."

END PART 5


	6. Chapter 7

_**Riddick: Unbound 7**_

"_**Dreams"**_

Author's note: First of all my apologies for the prolonged absence of an update to this story work. Mine is a busy world occupied by lots of things, just as I'm sure everyone's is...but I still hope that readers find this story interesting and come back for new posts. It is such fun for me to create something I have in my brain, submit it to the site here and know that people are reading it. My thanks to you all, Z

_**Dreams...**_

So dreams, do Furyans have them, or when they slumber is it that they only recall visions from their past?

During one moment (during the _**Chronicles of Riddick**_) whenever he lay helpless (and seemed to call on the gods for assistances), he envisioned a girl, a woman from his home planet. She comes to him, laying her hand upon his chest and gives him the "Gift"..._**the "Wrath of the Furyans"**_...

Riddick, (you gotta love Vin Diesel and David Twohy for pushing this character and this world forward... I respect them and am looking forward to what is revealed in Riddick 4)...

Anyhoo, Riddick is a guy who many see as someone that they can count on. A father figure, brother, teacher, he is someone who fills the gap, an individual who has their back (one they can trust)...aside from someone they cannot.

Alliances are made on a whim in such a universe...and that smile you see on a friend's face today...may turn into an expression of hatred and distain at the dawn of tomorrow. Whenever someone truly finds a friend, they are valued...even more so than gold.

Riddick found a friend in Kyra (Jack). She sacrificed herself for him whenever she stabled the Lord Marshal just before he delivered the killing blow to the Furyan. Riddick grieved her...for a long time. Now it has been found that she may have survived, may still be alive. He will do what is necessary to get her back.

_************** Ghost Town *************_

He stood in the center of a desolated town, gray and ashen, it looked like a war zone, and maybe it had been some time ago. The damage to the buildings and the debris littering the thoroughfares spoke that it had been no plague which had ravaged this township, it had been war, a battle, and the results seemed always to be the same. The conquering force had left, and what remained was a place in ruin, it was almost like a tomb, with nary a soul left behind as witness.

Men, women, children, babies, it didn't even seem that there were pets around. No barking dogs...or birds up in the sky. He lifted his eyes to the heavens and thought for a moment, "_Who could have done this_?", but he knew, he already knew who had come here and what had taken place. Fact was the name was circulating through his brain at this very instant...

"_Necromongers..._"

They came, they took, they conquered and they collected. Collected souls...then converted...and then, after all was said and done, they left the vacant shell, the abandoned structures of a city no longer of interest. No, it wasn't hard to know who had done this.

Riddick stood in the middle of what may once have been a thriving metropolis...His dark goggles (tightly fitting), shielded his eyes from the glare, and the white soot floating around in the atmosphere. The battle, if one could call it that...had been fought and lost, no match for the conquering invaders.

That event had been concluded for some time now. Its heroes lost to the ages, no one left to chronicle the deeds which had been done.

Still, the ash did remain. That fine powder, that substance of chalk-like pumice left when a city has been near incinerated. It was still being blown around by the wind, blown from the windows and ledges of the towering buildings and structures. It made the whole scene look gray, different shades of gray, but gray all the same.

Riddick didn't even bother to turn around. He already knew what lay behind. It would be mirrored by what could be seen in front. In all directions, the place was a wasteland...a ghost town.

"_Necromongers...they had done this, it's what they did, what they do, they kill...lay waste to a culture and then moved on_," that's what he was thinking.

How did he know (?), well he had been one himself once, no, scratch that, he had never actually been a Necromonger. Even sitting upon the Lord Marshal's throne he had not converted (and they had hated him for it). Hated him to the point where they had taken him out to a lonely planet, on the edge of the galaxy, and attempted to kill him, assassinate...However that mission had failed.

Riddick was no fool; he had not gone along with their plan. He knew when he was being set-up and that inhalation was coming, his sensed it, been alerted to the idea. Of course he could smell death...his personal friend was the _**Reaper**_, they played chess together, and o'l "_**Grim**_" had a dart board with his picture as the bulls-eye.

No, no one had to tell Riddick that he was a marked man. When someone tries to murder you in your crib, after birth, it sort of tells you that the sanctity of life is not so sacred.

Riddick had cheated the Grim Reaper on several occasions, and he had found a way to get off the planet he had been marooned on. However, others had not been so lucky...

Everywhere Riddick went it seemed that there were corpses left in his wake, well, that wasn't entirely true, OK, it was mostly true...but, could he be blamed for just wanting to live?

There were people still trying to track him. He just wanted to be left alone, of course that would never happen.

Riddick knew...that even with his supposed death, some would not give up searching for him. The bounty hunters, the bale bonds seekers, and the religious zealots, like the Necromongers. They would keep looking, refusing to believe that he had paid the final toll. Coughed up the coin to pay the ferryman on the River Styx...and could he really blame them? He had cheated Death too many times for the people that knew him to give up (Toombs kept a picture of him too, in his back pocket, a little glossy of which he had painted a mustache on).

Richard B. Riddick was a bandit, a man on the run, a criminal, a murderer, however when did killing someone who'd been sent out to kill you make you a murderer?

There are some folk out in the cosmos that people just love to hate. Wanted posters with his likeness were still posted in public places everywhere. It was one of the reasons he had chosen to remain out on the fringes of the universe. People out here cared less about who you were and moreover if you had the coin to pay them.

Still, someone had found him, had tracked him down. A woman...and she claimed to be the mother of someone he had become very attached to (Kyra), and too, she had reintroduced him to the Purifier, well his twin. They had made claim that her daughter was still alive.

Riddick now stood in a city which had been visited by the Necromongers, demolished. The way to find Kyra was by way of following those sadistic bastards.

It may not be easy to track him, and that was good, but it wasn't too difficult to track them, just follow the buzzards.

END PART 7


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